


To Die a Colossus

by POTFFAN



Series: Reaching for You [5]
Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Baby yoda’s first words, Darksaber, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Injured Din, Injury, Mind Control, Protective Baby Yoda, Protective Mandalorian, Softcore Porn, hurt mando!, there is some smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-25
Updated: 2020-03-09
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:22:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 20,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22890142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/POTFFAN/pseuds/POTFFAN
Summary: The final chapter comes to a close as Din faces the Empire to rescue the ones he loves.
Relationships: Baby Yoda & The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV), The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV)/Omera (Star Wars)
Series: Reaching for You [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1612027
Comments: 194
Kudos: 58





	1. The Alliance

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Itsagoodthing (itzagoodthing)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/itzagoodthing/gifts), [beached_writer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/beached_writer/gifts), [Beckleston](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beckleston/gifts), [kitkitkitkit1](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitkitkitkit1/gifts), [Gingerforlife](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gingerforlife/gifts).



> Hello everyone! It's that time you've been waiting for! THE FINAL CHAPTER IN THE SERIES! I went ahead and binged the entire first season so I would be good and prepared. This is going to be a longer fic so sit tight and enjoy!
> 
> WARNING: IF YOU HAVE NOT READ ANY OF THE OTHER STORIES IN THIS SERIES TURN BACK NOW AND READ THEM OR THIS FIC WILL NOT MAKE SENSE! 
> 
> Now that the boring stuff is out of the way, enjoy!

A stale wind gusted over the barren terrain of Nevarro, whipping the lone hunter’s cloak around him. There was resolve in his stride as he made his way towards the backwater city where all this had begun. The Mandalorian had combed the galaxy for three weeks, looking for any sign of the Imperial Remnant. The anger and the desperation were starting to get to him as each lead ended up leaving him empty-handed. Finally, after he was exhausted of all resources, a singular message had reached the _Razor Crest_. Din had wanted to smash the holograph projector when Greef Karga’s image but he refrained and instead chose to listen to the message. Now he was here, on this forsaken planet, going to meet a man he once thought he could trust.

The town had not changed since he’d last been there except for one major aspect. The Mandalorian enclave would not be there any longer; not after they had exposed themselves to save him and the Child. He shook off his emotions. He was going to go into this as he always had; steely and silent.

The path to the cantina was second nature to him and soon he found himself inside the dimly lit watering hole. It was pretty much empty, with only a lone drinker or two so it was easy to spot Karga sitting expectantly at a booth in the corner. Din did a perfunctory sweep around the room checking for any obvious threats. Spotting none, he joined his former employer at the booth.

“I didn’t think you would come,” Karga said as Din sat across from him.

“I almost didn’t,” Din replied gruffly.

“Where’s your little friend? I heard things haven’t exactly gone in your favor since we last saw each other.” Karga’s tone was borderline taunting.

“If you don’t actually have anything useful to say to me, I’ll be on my way,” Din said as he moved to stand.

“Alright, alright. Look, I know the Remnant has been hunting you since our last…encounter. They came here and seized all my databases and everything else of mine in an effort to find you. The Guild is doomed if you don’t help me get my stuff back.”

“That’s no longer any concern of mine.”

“Come on, Mando. After all we’ve been through?”

“You negated any of that when you tried to kill me!”

“ _You_ were the one that turned your back on The Guild!” Karga stood, his voice rising with anger. pie

“The Guild was wrong and helping the Empire!” Now Din was standing and raising his voice.

“Why you-” Quick as a flash both men drew their blasters and pointed them at each other. They stared each other down silently for a moment.

“What if I told you I knew where the Remnant was?” Karga took a calculated risk and lower his blaster. Din lowered his at this piece of information.

“How do I know I can trust you?” The Mandalorian asked.

“Because I want them gone just as much as you do, and I think you can stop them once and for all.”

Din remained silent as he searched Kara, looking for any inclination that the man before him couldn’t be trusted. Karga attempted the same, but the Bheskar hid all from his observation.

“So, do we have a deal?” Karga prompted.

“Fine,” Din replied.

********

Two speeder bikes tore across the terrain with a singular destination targeted. As Din followed Karga to the location of the Remnant that familiar thrill of the hunt began to fill him. For so long he’d been on the run like a scared animal and now it was time to return the sentiment. He was going to make the bastards pay. Karga stopped suddenly and Din followed his example and dismounted.

“Their base shouldn’t be far from here. We’ll go the rest of the way on foot so that we don’t alert our presence.” Din nodded and followed Karga as they started to walk, leaving the speeder bikes behind. The traversed on foot for a while until they reached a ridge. Suddenly Karga grabbed Din by the arm.

“Stop. I’m sorry. I can’t let you do this,” Karga said.

“Do what?”

“I-I was going to betray you, turn you over to the Imperials. But I was thinking about what you said, about how we were helping the Empire-”

“You son of a bitch!” Din exclaimed as he threw a punch at Karga who took it square in the gut and fell.

“I-I’m sorry, Mando...” Karga coughed, trying to catch his breath. “I thought this was the best option.”

“So just like that, you were going to betray me?” Din accused as he drew his blaster.

“Mando wait!” Karga cried.

Suddenly a shot came out of nowhere striking Din in the pauldron with a loud clang. It didn’t hurt, but the force of the shot knocked him off his feet. More shots blasted over their heads.

“They’ve spotted us. Run!” Karga called as he jumped to his feet and started to bolt. Din followed suit, firing off shots as he ran. Several speeder bikes zoomed past the running men and banked so that they cut them off. Din fired at several of the riders, but more and more speeder bikes came. He juked left to avoid getting shot but more troopers surrounded him. He fired more shots, killing several troopers before he and Karga were completely surrounded.

“Drop your weapons or we’ll kill your friend,” one of them threatened.

“Do it. He’s not my friend,” Din said nonchalantly. Karga turned and gave him a withering glare.

“Fine. Then drop your weapons or we’ll kill you,” the trooper corrected. Din looked and saw that he was well and truly trapped. Reluctantly, he set down his blaster and then his pulse rifle. Karga did the same.

“Take them in. Moff Gideon will be very pleased.”

“Wait, did you say Moff Gideon?” Din asked. Rather than answer, another trooper struck Din with an electrical staff, shocking him enough to knocking him out cold.

********

Din woke up with a groan to find himself in a cell.

“Well, this is getting old,” he huffed as he sat up.

“You’re telling me,” Karga said from his corner. Din turned to see Karga sitting on the opposite end of the cell.

“Oh great. You’re here,” Din said irritably.

“Ok look. I’m sorry I was going to betray you, but I was going to fix it. You talked some sense into me. Clearly, the Empire was up to something sinister if they want to harm a child. I don’t want to be a part of that.”

“Well, I’m glad you’ve come to your senses, but unfortunately you’re just a bit late. How do you propose we get out of here?”

“Well, you’re a Mandalorian. I’m sure you’ll come up with a solution.” Din sighed.

“Well, I might have one idea,” he said as he reached into the pocket of his cloak and pulled out the commlink that Terra gave him.

“What’s that?” Karga asked, daring to move a little closer.

“It’s a way to contact the Mandalorians,” Din explained.

“I thought they were all gone.”

“I met some more while I was traveling. They promised they would help if I ever needed it.”

“Well, now would be the time to call for help.”

There was a loud clank at the door and Din quickly hit the commlink to avoid getting caught. He would have to call for help later.

A group of stormtroopers entered the cell and wordlessly jerked Din to his feet before cuffing his hands behind his back and leading him out of the cell, closing the door behind them.

Din tried to search for a way out of his predicament, but he knew that sometimes laying low and biding his time paid off in the end. As they marched, Din realized he was on a starship, so they must be heading to some location of importance. Maybe they would get to the bottom of this. He was lead to the main deck and spotted his enemy almost instantly.

Moff Gideon grinned as his storm troopers marched the Mandalorian before him.

“At last, Din Djarin. I’ve heard an awful lot about you. How could I not when you’ve been running around, stealing what belongs to me and ruining my plans?” He chuckled. “Well, I hope you’ve had your fun because now you’re coming to me in chains and you have failed.”

Din remained stony and silent, staring down the former Imperial with seething rage behind his helmet.

“Now, tell me where the Child is, and I’ll set you and the bounty hunter free,” Din said nothing and Gideon stormed angrily to him until he was standing face to face with him. “Tell me!”

“He’s a Child. He’s not for you to take and use for your destructive purposes.”

“I will do what I please, and you will tell me where he is or else!” Din continued to stay quiet. He wasn’t going to give in. He’d fought so hard, and gotten this far, and this insane Imperial was not going to break him.

“Alright, Mandalorian. If that’s how you want to do this. I’ll make sure you will carry out all my plans before I destroy you.” Din struggled as Gideon produced a strange-looking device from his cape and lifted it towards the side of Din’s helmet. Din heard a strange buzzing which steadily grew louder as Gideon moved his hand closer. It was pounding his brain, sending jarring shockwaves through his skull. It felt like someone was smashing his head with a hammer. He gasped and groaned as the pain grew more and more intense. His head was going to explode.

Gideon chuckled as he pulled the device away. “That’s only the beginning of what this little contraption can do. You have an hour until we reach Sorgan to decide what you’re going to do, or you will find out exactly what it’s capable of doing. And I would think carefully. Those little friends of yours in that village won’t be able to defend themselves against what I’ve got up my sleeve. Now take him back to the cell.”

The troopers drug Din’s limp body back to the cell and threw him in before locking it again. Din groaned as he rolled onto his back. The pain was slowly abating. 

“Mando! Are you alright?” Karga asked, genuine concern in his voice.

“I’ve got to call for help,” Din said as he pulled the commlink out. “Terra? It’s Din. All of you need to head to Sorgan now. Take the child there. The Imperials are coming and the village there doesn’t stand a chance. Tell a woman named Cara that I sent you.”

“As you wish, Din Djarin. We’ll be there to defend.”

“Thank you,” Din sighed before laying back. He had an hour to decide what to do.

“What’s going on, Mando. What are they doing?” Karga asked as he sat beside him.

“I don’t know. But it’s something bad.”


	2. Infection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Omera and Cara meet the Mandalorians and Moff Gideon acquires a new weapon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I'm so excited for this chapter. There's some good action and intrigue ahead! Your support and comments have been so incredible. I'm currently working on a little surprise for you all to pair with this fic so stay tuned for that. Without further ado, here's the chapter!

Omera stood with Sala and Sei, observing the final touches of a new building being assembled. Cara and Rob were directing builders artfully.

“We really appreciate you folks doing this,” Sei said gratefully.

“It was our pleasure. This village has needed a proper hospital for a long time. And I’m thankful for you bringing new supplies and equipment. It’ll be a salvation.” Omera remembered the night after Din’s first attempt to take out Donaroy and how she’d almost lost him because of their lack of medical supplies.

“We are looking forward to working with you,” Sala said, giving Omera a brief hug. Omera smiled. In the three weeks, since they had arrived, Sala and Sei brought with them joy and comfort. She hardly remembered her real parents as they had been killed when she was very young, so she was glad for the gentle and natural parenting the older couple offered. They were also a comfort because they had seen Din last. Their stories of how they had found him, saved him from death, and how Din had returned the favor by rescuing Sei from the Remnant were the only shreds of him she could cling to.

Cara ran up to the little group, breaking off her trail of thought. “Well, it’s all done! We can start moving in furniture and the supplies you both brought,” she reported happily.

“Excellent, my Dear!” Sei said. “You’ve done good work!” Cara tried to hide her pleased smile and blush. She too had taken a liking to Sei and Sala and appreciated their stories, advice, and care. They were always encouraging her to take care of herself have a well-earned rest. She’d never had someone care for her wellbeing the way they did.

“Well, let’s start getting things in. The sooner we’re settled, the sooner we can start helping people,” Sala urged.

The troop moved to the ship Sala and Sei had piloted to Sargon. Once they had been accepted into the village it had been moved to the confines of the town. Omera was about to follow the rest of the group into the belly of the ship when she heard a strange noise. It was distant at first but steadily grew louder.

“Do you hear that?” She asked and the rest of her friends paused to hear the echoing howl.

“It sounds like a ship,” Cara said as she set the box she was attempting to lift down and joined Omera outside. “Correction, a group of ships.” Sei and Sala, now piqued by the noise, abandoned their moving and went to look at the sky.

Three or four large ships loomed into view and grew larger and larger as they neared the ground.

“Arm yourselves!” Cara cried as she grabbed her pulse rifle. Omera grabbed hers as well as she trembled with fear. Why were these ships here? What horror was slowly touching down on her home?

Cara watched with pride as armed villagers assembled themselves within minutes. She had trained them well. She was on high alert as the ships touched down and powered off. Nobody moved for a full minute.

“Come out slowly and state your business!” Rob called, raising his own pulse rifle. Cara raised hers as well.

There was a hiss as the ramp to one ship started to lower and one of the passengers slowly emerged. Cara couldn’t believe her eyes. Neither could anyone else.

“We’re here for someone named Cara!” the Mandalorian called in an unmistakable female voice behind her green helmet.

“That would be me,” Cara said, never lowering her rifle as she stepped forward. “What is your business here and how do you know my name?”

“Din Djarin sent us. You’re in grave danger,” the woman responded, unfazed by the rifle pointed at her.

“We haven’t seen any sign of danger. How do we know you’re telling the truth?” Cara asked, still wary of the helmeted warrior before her.

“Well, I think there’s someone here who can vouch for us. Mara!” the woman called into the depth of the ship. Another Mandalorian in blue armor emerged with the Child in her arms. Cara gasped and put down her rifle, running to the ship. The Mandalorian gently handed the baby to her who giggled upon recognizing her.

“Where’s Din? He would never abandon the child,” Omera retorted. Unlike Cara, she was not as trustful and the worry in the pit of her stomach only grew at the sight of the child without his father.

The green Mandalorian stepped forward, sizing Omera up. “You are Omera,” she stated.

“I am. How do you know who I am?”

“I figured the woman who stole his heart would be spunky.”

“What?”

“Excused me, I hate to break up this little exchange but where is Din and why are we in danger. It’s been quiet and peaceful here for months,” Cara interrupted.

“I thought all the Mandalorians were gone?” Sei interjected.

“Easy everyone. My name is Petra. I come from a band of Mandalorians who formed a remote society after the Purge. We have been living in hiding since.” Petra turned to Cara. “We met Din and his son about three weeks ago, and Din resolved to take care of the Imperial Remnant who has been hunting them down for months. In order to protect the Child, he left him with us. As for the danger, I can’t tell you. We received a transmission from him about an hour ago and came as soon as we could. All we know is that we were told to come here to protect you.”

“We have had no threats here. There’s been no sign of any danger,” Omera argued. She was still unsure of her trust in Petra.

“Well, with all due respect, we were told to come here by a comrade, and we will remain until we are certain there are no threats,” Petra replied flatly. Something about her tone reminded her of Din and how he was when he first came to the village.

“Rob? This is your village. It’s your call,” Cara said, turning to the village chief.

“We owe the Mandalorian our lives after he rescued us. If you say you come in his name, I would be more than honored to open my village to you. We’ll let you stay for a few days to make sure there is no danger.”

“Thank you. We appreciate it,” Petra said with a nod.

“We’ve just built a hospital and as of now, it’s empty. Between that and your ships, there should be plenty of room for you and your people.”

“Thank you very much. That’s very kind of you.”

Omera grabbed her rifle and stormed off to her hut. Cara sighed and followed her, carrying the baby with her. She entered the hut to find the woman pacing as she buried her hands in her long black hair.

“Ok, correct me if I’m wrong, but you appear to be upset,” Cara said as she switched the baby to her other arm.

“No, I’m not upset. It’s just-” Omera couldn’t even summon the words to explain how she felt. Her heart was shattering into a thousand pieces.

“Well, you were fine until the Mandalorians showed up with the kid.”

“Who does that Petra think she is, coming in here acting like she knows anything about us or Din,” Omera spat as she sat on her bed and buried her face in her hands. Cara sat beside her.

“Omera, what’s really wrong? I’d like to think that we’ve become friends in the last two months. You can be honest with me.” Omera sighed.

“Nobody understands how badly I ache. I don’t sleep sometimes. I-I just keep seeing horrible things happening to him. You heard the stories, Cara. He’s almost died! Nobody will tell me where he is or what’s happened. I’m just left here wondering and waiting. I’ve tried to stay strong and hopeful and-and I’m losing it.”

The Child seemed to sense her sadness and his ears lowered as he reached for her. Omera smiled through her tears as she took him from Cara’s arms and cuddled him close.

“I worry about him too. He’s the only true friend I’ve ever had. So I can’t even imagine how bad these last couple of months have been for you. But if there’s one thing I do know, Din is a fighter. The fact that he’s gotten this far should prove that he’s not going to quit.”

Omera sniffed and wiped her damp eyes.

“Did I ever tell you how we met?” Omera shook her head. “He was supposed to bring me in for a bounty, but he met me, saw something in me worth saving, and helped fake my death. Then, after he rescued the Kid from the Imperials, he called me up and told me he needed a crew member.” Omera smiled.

“He always does what’s right, even if it means risking himself.”

“I know. That’s what makes him a good man. Now, will you play nice with Petra and the other Mandalorians? If Din sent them here he can’t be far behind.”

“I hope so,” Omera replied.

********

“So what are you going to do?” Karga asked as leaned against the wall of the cell. It had been an hour, Gideon’s men would be coming any minute now.

“Why do you care? You were going to betray me anyways,” Din said gruffly.

“I said I was sorry. But you didn’t look good when they brought you in.”

“Gideon had some kind of device. I’ve never seen anything like it. It was definitely unpleasant.”

Like clockwork, the door clanked again and this time both Din and Karga were yanked out of the cell and marched down the hall. Instead of going to bridge, however, they were marched outside. Din squinted against the daylight and surveyed the scene before him. Seemingly hundreds of stormtroopers were scattering around assembling mobile buildings and moving supplies. This wasn’t some little remnant, it was a full-scale army. The two men were marched to an already assembled building where Moff Gideon sat with The Client. Din seethed at the sight of the two of them together.

“Ah, Mandalorian. Nice to see you weren’t caught in the crosshairs of the explosion that you tried to kill me with.” Normally Din would offer some smartass reply but given the circumstances, he refrained.

“So, Djarin. Have you thought about my offer?” Gideon asked. Din gave a single nod in the affirmative. “Are you going to tell me where the kid is?” Din didn’t reply but stood silently.

“Mando, what are you doing?” Karga whispered.

“Alright. You don’t want to help willingly. Looks like I’ll have to make you.” Before Din could struggle, Gideon whipped out the strange device again and stuck it to the side of Din’s helmet.

The Mandalorian felt an intense pain that took his breath away momentarily before it melted away, along with the tension he’d been feeling since he’d been captured. A strange peace settled in him. Gideon smiled evilly as he stepped back.

“Djarin, I want you to sit,” he said as he gestured to the chair he’d been sitting in previously. Din was not about to take orders from some Imp, but for some reason, he felt compelled to do so and obeyed. Gideon chuckled as The Client gasped in awe.

“Impressive! Where did you find such a curious device?”

“It was being developed by the Empire before the rebellion. I’ve never seen it tested on humans so Djarin here is so brave for testing this out,” Gideon said snidely. He turned to Din who was still sitting. “What you’re now wearing is a technology that was being funded by the Empire. It uses electronic waves to send signals to the subject's brain. As long I wear mine,” Gideon said as he tapped a tiny device in his ear, “I can control you. Now, you will tell me where the Kid is.”

“No,” Din said defiantly.

“You will tell me!” Gideon said angrily.

Din could feel it. It was like someone was poking at his head. He felt a nagging, compelling him to speak. He clenched his fists. He thought of the Kid, his son, with his big innocent eye looking up at him helplessly. He wouldn’t break. It didn’t matter what Gideon did to him. The poking got more intense and started to grow into a pain. It was getting more and more intense. The stronger his resolve grew, the worse the pain got. He slumped to the ground and he felt every muscle in his body tense as it felt like his skull was slowly being crushed. His breath came in harsh, staggering gasps.

“Stop! You’re going to kill him!” Karga cried, watching in horror as the stoic Mandalorian crumbled before him.

“Oh no, no, no, this won’t kill him. Not yet anyway,” Gideon said slyly as Din’s body started to convulse with seizures.

The pain was worse than anything he’d ever experienced. He would have taken being squeezed by Donaroy or the poison all over again if it meant he never had to experience this pain again. The seizures only exacerbated it but he couldn’t blackout in order to escape it.

“S-Sorgan!” he cried harshly and suddenly the pain stopped. Tears were running down his face under the helmet as he laid on the ground trying to catch his breath.

“Ah, so he’s here. Excellent. That will make all this so much easier,” Gideon said as he stepped over Din’s prone body. He snapped his fingers. “Put Karga back in his cell for now. Leave the Mandalorian here. We’ve got some work to do,” he ordered as he once again sat in his chair.

“Oh, and Djarin, the more you fight it, the quicker you’ll break. Soon, you won’t have the strength to resist it. I am in your head now. You’ll be as well trained as a pet and you will do what I tell you. I will make you destroy everything you love before I end your miserable existence.”

Din didn’t have the strength to answer but instead laid at the feet of the Imperial.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! As always, rate and review!


	3. The Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Din undergoes his training and Petra and Omera make peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I just want to thank you again for all the love and support! Here's the next chapter. There's a lovely little surprise in it that I think will make y'all smile.

Come walk with me, Djarin,” Gideon said, gesturing for the helmeted warrior to walk with him. The nudging in his head forced him to follow despite the desire to run in the opposite direction. He wanted to fight the Imperial’s commands, but he recalled what he said about getting weaker every time he fought the mind control. He figured it would be wise to pick his battles wisely and save his strength for more high stakes situations. He walked at the General’s heels as they toured the now assembled base camp. Impressive what an army could do in a few hours.

“Do you know why I chose Sorgan, Djarin?” Gideon asked. Din refrained from answering. He could at least control that. “Shame,” Gideon said after he suspected the Mandalorian wasn’t going to give him an answer. “I would have thought you’d still remember what Donaroy told you about the natural resources on this planet.” 

Din looked at Gideon in shock. “Did you just say…”

“You really think Donaroy was smart enough to come up with that plan on his own, or fund a base and drill of that size? Where do you think he got the droids?”

“So you struck a deal with a local warlord to terrorize the people here and mine resources?” Din asked, his anger boiling as he thought of the fear Omera’s village had been subjected to.

“Not exactly. We would let him play victorious conquer for a while and then once we had a handle on the mining here, we would kill him. However, you so thoughtfully killed him before we were ready so we are having to come here and drill on our own.”

Din wanted to kick himself. He should have known something was suspicious about Donaroy’s base and resources. Rather than rescue Omera and her village he just made room for a bigger enemy.

“Don’t fret too much Djarin. You did help your pathetic cause somewhat. If you hadn’t taken out Donaroy, we would have been landing here with droids to take over Sorgan.”

The two men continued their tour and happened upon a stormtrooper who was propped up against the side of a building snoring away. Gideon rolled his eyes.

“I do apologize for the unprofessionalism of my men. It’s so hard to find good help these days. But now is as good a time as any to start breaking you so, go beat some sense into that stormtrooper.”

This was one order Din was more than happy to follow. He sauntered up to the stormtrooper and gave him a sharp kick, jarring the soldier awake.

“Hey! What the-” Din cut him off as he picked him up by the chest plate and gave him a strong uppercut to the face, knocking him off his feet.

“You’ll pay for that!” the trooper cried as he jumped up and tackled Din.

Din wanted to fight back. It was in his nature and reflexes too. But there was the nagging in his head telling him not to fight back. He felt a sharp pain in his side as the trooper kicked him viciously. Another blow to his stomach knocked the wind out of him. Against his better judgment, Din swung his legs and knocked his attacker's legs out from under him, only to be met with the agonizing pain in his head. He gasped and gripped the sides of his helmet as he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block it out. The trooper jumped up again and kicked him once more but this time, Din didn’t fight back.

“That’s enough, stormtrooper. Don’t let me catch you sleeping on the job again,” Gideon warned before kneeling beside the fallen Mandalorian. “You’re learning. That’s good. Although, I wouldn’t mind you trying to disobey me again. I am anxious to hear you scream.” He chuckled wickedly.

********

Omera finished folding some blankets and put them in their designated spot in the hospital the baby, who was riding in a sling around her body cooed at her occasionally, reminding her that he was there.

“There, Little One. Chores are done, and now I have nothing to keep me occupied except you now,” she said softly to him. “I wish you could talk. I’m sure you’ve been on lots of adventures in the last two months.” The baby giggled and reached for her and she took him out of the sling, rocking him in her arms gently.

“Mara, are you in here?” Petra called as she entered the hospital only to find Omera and the baby. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“It’s fine,” Omera said as she set the baby down. The child giggled and waddled off to find someone to play with. “Your sister went out on a supply run with Cara.”

“Oh,” Petra said. “Guess I’ll wait here then.” The silence was unbearably awkward. Omera nodded and tried to hurry quickly out of the hospital.

“Omera wait!” Petra called and the woman stopped and turned. “I-I’m getting the feeling that you’re not my biggest fan right now.”

Omera sighed. “I apologize. It’s not that I don’t like you. It’s just complicated.” Petra nodded.

“So I’ve gathered. Din filled me in a little bit on the situation.”

“How did you meet him by the way?” Omera asked, letting her guard down a little bit.

“He came to us with the kid. Both of them had caught a nasty case of pneumonia. Mara nursed them back to health. He told me a lot about you,” Petra replied.

“What did he say?” Omera asked, her heart skipping a beat.

“He loves you, Omera. He told me so. I know it’s been hard waiting with no word from him but he did it all to protect you and the Child.” Omera nodded, speechless by Din’s confession. She loved him too. She’d never said it out loud. Perhaps she too was scared to admit her feelings. Petra stood.

“I’ll go see if there’s anything I can do to help. I’m sorry our presence was so abrupt and unannounced but when a comrade calls for help, we answer the call. This is the way,” she said softly before leaving Omera alone with her thoughts.

********

Din sat on the ground beside Moff Gideon as the general surveyed a holographic projection of Sorgan and it’s potential mining spots. Humiliation and anger burned in him. How badly did he want to stand and choke Gideon right then and there. There was a brief twinge in his skull, and he winced.

“I can sense your thoughts, Djarin. Even those are punishable if I decide they aren’t productive to your training,” Gideon said coolly as he never took his eyes off the map.

Din felt exhaustion pulling at him. It had been a long day of battling his mind and his thoughts. Gideon permeated his every thought and action. There was no escape. 

“You’re tired, aren’t you? Good, I think it’s time to practice what you’ve learned,” Gideon said as he pushed a few buttons on his bracer. Within minutes The Client appeared.

“You wanted me?” he asked, breaking into a satisfied grin at the sight of Din sitting at Gideon’s feet. “I see you’ve managed to tame the Mandalorian.”

“We’ve done good work today. I thought you might like to see,” Gideon said and gestured for the elderly man to sit. Within a few minutes, two stormtroopers brought Karga in. Din trembled slightly. This couldn’t be good.

“Djarin, I want you to deal with Karga. He’s been nothing but an annoyance and a pain in my side. He’s useless to me now.”

“What? I’ve done everything you’ve asked!” Karga argued.

“You failed to produce the asset even after several chances and you were going to betray me and let the Mandalorian go. In my eyes that more than deserves punishment. Do it, Djarin,” Gideon commanded as he tossed Din a knife.

Despite his unwillingness, Din found himself standing, grabbing the knife, and slowly making his way to Karga. The troopers backed away to watch the onslaught.

“Come on, Mando. I know I probably deserve a few good punches to face, but you aren’t seriously about to listen to this psychopath. You’re better than that,” Karga tried to persuade.

“Can’t fight it,” Din lowly as he neared Karga. This was wrong. He knew it was wrong. Karga was a slimy lowlife but he didn’t deserve to die. He hesitated, only to feel the sharp pain once more. Karga took this brief distraction to bolt, only to have the Mandalorian throw the knife and hit him expertly in the shoulder. Karga cried out and dropped to his knees. Din trudged over and yanked the knife out of the bounty hunter’s flesh.

“Finish the job, Djarin,” Gideon commanded, a smile finding its way to his lips as he surveyed his work.

Din prepared to strike but stopped. He wasn’t going to do this. He wasn’t going to give in. Not this time. Not again. He turned to face Gideon.

“No,” he said with resolve and started to march towards the Imperial with the knife in hand. The pain in his head was coming fast and strong but he wasn’t going to cave this time. He doubled his resolve.

“You know what happens when you disobey me, Mandalorian,” Gideon sneered. The tiniest twinge of fear was creeping into him when the Mandalorian wouldn’t succumb to the pain.

“You’re not going to break me. I’m not going to give…in,” Din growled through gritted teeth. The pain was getting stronger and stronger. It was much worse than the first time. He stumbled but he wasn’t going to go down. With one last bit of effort, he sprung forward, burying the knife to the hilt in Gideon’s shoulder. The Imperial cried out and shoved Din onto his back before standing menacingly. The pain tripled its intensity so fast Din didn’t have time to brace himself. An agonized scream tore from his lips as his body lapsed into convulsions. Gideon stood over Din’s seizing body, willing pain and agony to rip through the Mandalorian’s brain. He would make him pay for his insolent behavior as Din continued to scream. It was sweet music to his ears.

********

The Child started to wail from his crib in Omera’s hut. Omera stood quickly and rushed over to him.

“There, there, little one. It’s alright. Did you have a bad dream?” she soothed softly as she rocked him.

The baby continued to wail. It was scaring her. This wasn’t a hungry or thirsty cry. It almost sounded like pain or fear. She did a quick check to make sure there wasn’t any immediate sign of pain or injury.

“What’s wrong little one?” she asked even though she knew the babe was still too young to answer.

“Dada…” the child wailed.

“Oh! Oh, those were your first words!” Omera exclaimed, temporarily forgetting that the child was in distress. “I’m sorry, Little One. Your father isn’t here right now. I promise, he’ll be home soon though,” she soothed as she walked out of her hut into the warm night. The baby was starting to calm as she continued to rock him and talk lowly. “When he does, I’m going to tell him that I love him. And maybe, just maybe, he’ll tell me he loves me back.”

********

At last Din’s body overwrote Gideon’s efforts to keep him conscious so he could torture him for as long as possible and the Mandalorian went still and silent. The Client looked at the Mandalorian and then at Moff Gideon.

“Did you kill him?”

“No. The connection is still intact. He’s only unconscious. You two,” he gestured to the two stormtroopers who had been standing there the whole time. “Take Karga back to the cell. Make sure he doesn’t bleed out. We’ll use him for practice later,” he ordered before going to sit down again. “And bring me something for my own shoulder!”

“He’s not going to be much use to us if you fry his brain,” The Client interjected.

“I confess, he’s stronger than I expected but he won’t be for much longer. He’s breaking. I expect he’ll be ready in a day or two and then, we can press forward.”

“How much longer until the mining is started?”

“I’ve been studying the layout of the planet and found the closest deposit. We can begin mining sometime tomorrow afternoon.”

“Excellent. We have been living like rats since the rebellion, but now the time has come to rise again,” The Client hissed as he surveyed Din’s prone body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I know the Child hasn't talked in the show yet but I felt like we all could use some heartwarming moments in between the angst. Keep an eye out for the next chapter coming soon!


	4. Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Cara and the rest of the village discover the Imperial Remnant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I'll be traveling this weekend and wasn't sure how much I'd be able to write so I wanted to squeeze out one more chapter just in case. I hope you enjoy!

A violent sick feeling woke Din out of unconsciousness. He groaned and curled up on his stomach. Every muscle in his body ached and he was so tired. He just wanted to sleep.

“Get up, Djarin. We’ve got work to do,” Gideon nudged. Din stifled a groan and continued to lay on the ground until he felt the pressure in his head and he reluctantly stood. His limbs trembled.

“Well, since we took some steps backward yesterday, we’re going to run back through the basics again today. Let’s hope we don’t have any outbursts,” he said with an evil chuckle.

********

The morning dawned clean and clear. Omera woke to the sound of chatter outside her hut. Carefully, she laid the baby, who had fallen asleep on her chest, in his crib before going outside. Rob, Cara, a few of the Mandalorians, and a couple of scouts were gathered outside.

“Ah, Omera you’re here,” Rob said warmly.

“What’s going on?” she asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eye.

“Well, we’ve been talking. It’s been about 24 hours or so since we got the call from Din and we’ve not seen any sign of danger. Something’s wrong. He wouldn’t have called us unless it was something serious,” Petra explained.

“What do you think happened?” Omera asked, fear starting to creep into her heart.

“Who knows. He may have been captured. But he said the Remnant was coming to Sorgan so there must be something here.”

“We’re going to break up into patrols and just do a sweep of the area, see if we see anything suspicious,” Cara said and Rob nodded. “Now let's break off into groups and get going.” She turned to two young men who stood bashfully off to the side. “So you’re the recruits?”

“Yes, Ma’am. I’m Caben and this is Stoke,” one of the men said bashfully.

“Pleasure to meet you both. I’m Cara, you’re going to be coming with me today. I’ll show you the ropes,” she said as she shouldered her rifle. The two men, who couldn’t have been older than twenty followed her example and followed her out onto the terrain. For several hours they trekked, looking around but spotting nothing.

“So like, are we going to walk around forever?” Caben asked at the end of their fourth hour. Cara sighed.

“No. I guess there’s nothing out here. We’ll head back and see if the others found anything. Let’s just check over this ridge and make sure,” she said as she walked a little further. She peered over the ridge and gasped. “Get down!” she hissed and Caben and Stoke dropped like rocks. The recruits belly crawled their way to their commander and peered over the ridge.

“Wh-what’s that?” Stoke whispered in a trembling voice.

“That…is the danger the Mandalorians were talking about,” Cara whispered back as she surveyed the Imperial base camp below. “We need to get back and warn the others. Let’s back away, slowly.”

The trio started to slowly back away when Stoke accidentally bumped his pulse rifle, setting it off. The charge buried itself harmlessly into the dirt but that wasn’t the biggest concern.

“Hey! There’s someone up there!” Cara heard a stormtrooper yell.

“Run!” she cried and bolted. Stoke and Caben jumped up and followed her example. Shots started to fire around them as the stormtrooper came over the ridge, chasing down the patrol.

“Don’t stop running!” Cara cried. If they could just put enough distance between them and the pursuing troops that would be safe. Stoke had no problem keeping up but Caben felt his lungs burning as he tried to keep running.

“Wait for me!” he called when he suddenly tripped over the uneven terrain and fell. The stormtroopers were on him in seconds. “Help! Help me please!” he called as the stormtroopers started to drag him away but Cara and Stoke were too far away at this point and couldn’t hear him. He didn’t stop screaming for help as he was dragged back to the camp.

********

Cara kept running until she felt like she would burst and she stopped. She couldn’t hear the troopers behind her so they must be safe. She turned and her eyes went wide with panic.

“Where’s Caben?” she asked with panic in her voice.

Stoke turned and realized his friend was no longer behind him. “He was right behind me!”

“He must have gotten caught.”

“Well, we have to go back for him!” Stoke cried. He tried to run back but Cara caught him.

“No! We won’t make it on our own. We have to go back and tell the others what we’ve seen. Then, we can get a rescue party together and go save him. I promise. We’ll get him back, but we have to get back to the village.

Stoke hesitated and cast one more glance in the direction of the Imperial base before nodding and following Cara dejectedly back to the village.

********

“Thank you, Djarin,” Gideon cooed slyly as Din set down a crate that he’s requested earlier. “You’ve done awful well today. See? When you do as you’re told, all is well.” Din huffed behind his helmet. He hated Gideon with every ounce of his being. He’d run errands for the man all day. Pure dread and fear of the crushing pressure in his skull spurred him to be quick and obedient despite himself. He’d never been more ashamed in his entire life. Slowly but surely, Gideon was reducing him to an animal. He could feel the Imperial wrapping around his brain, numbing him to everything else.

A loud commotion caused Gideon to look up from his screens and two stormtroopers burst in holding a trembling and dejected-looking farmer between the two of them.

“What is all this then?” Gideon asked, mildly annoyed.

“We caught this one snooping around the edge of the base. There were two more but they got away,” one of the stormtroopers reported.

Gideon strolled up to the man and studied him.

“You’re from that little village that killed my warlord aren’t you?” he asked.

“Y-you w-won’t get away with this. The others that were with me, they are going to go back and tell everyone that you’re here!” Caben spat angrily. Gideon chuckled.

“I hardly think a bunch of farmers are any match against my army.” Gideon turned away, rapidly losing interest in the situation. 

“Well, we have Mandalorians too! They will stop you!” The Imperial stopped and turned to face the young man. Din’s ears pricked up at the mention of the Mandalorians. Terra had kept his word. They were here. Everything was going to be alright.

“You said, Mandalorians?” Gideon asked. Caben, realizing he may have said too much shrank back, refusing to answer. A smirk formed on Gideon’s face as he pushed a button on his bracer.

“What do you want?” The Client’s voice asked over the radio.

“You might want to come here. I think I might have found a little roadblock in our plan, Gideon said. Within a few minutes, The Client entered the building.

“What’s going on?” the decrepit man asked.

“This fool here tells me that there’s a little village not far from here that’s going to stop us because they have Mandalorians,” Gideon relayed.

“I thought they were all gone,” The Client replied, looking in confusion at Caben.

“Apparently not. So, here’s what I propose. The drill is at the location and already extracting resources. Why don’t we send our little village friends a warning and start powering up the droids? If they want to try and take us on, they’ll be met with a nasty surprise. Plus, our friend Djarin is going to have a second chance to prove himself.”

Caben jerked his head as spotted Din. There was a look of horror on his face. “Mando? What are you doing here?”

“Oh good, you know each other. This will make all of what’s going to happen next so much more interesting. Djarin, kill this moron,” Gideon ordered as he handed Din a blaster.

“What! No! No please no!” Caben cried and tried to pull away from the Stormtroopers who held him in place tightly.

Din took the blaster, stood so he was facing Caben, and took aim. Somewhere deep in his mind, he knew this was not right but that voice was so faint he could no longer hear it. He was numb and no longer in control of his actions. He tried to hesitate just once but the pressure made him hold his aim steady. 

“Please Mando! Please this isn’t you! Please don’t do this!” Caben begged.

Din squeezed the trigger and the shot hit Caben cleanly in the chest. A look of pure shock flashed onto the young man’s face as he let out a shuddering gasp before dropping to his knees and then slumped to the ground. Tendrils of smoke still rose from the burning blaster shot. Gideon laughed triumphantly.

“At last! He’s ready!”

“Very impressive, Gideon. I believe this Mandalorian will be an excellent asset to us,” The Client cackled.

“Stormtrooper, tie the body to one of those Blurrgs we brought and send it towards the village. I’m sure they will know that we mean business,” Gideon ordered, and the trooper obeyed, dragging Caben’s limp body out of the building. The Imperial turned to Din. “Excellent work, Djarin. I think you’re finally ready to help me retrieve what’s rightfully mine,” he said evilly.

Din stood emotionlessly. He was no longer Din Djarin. He was just a hollow shell now being controlled by the Imperial Remnant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if I gave yall so many feels. I know I gave my own self some. As always, rate and review. I love you all!


	5. Retaliation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Cara and the village get revenge for the death of their comrade.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I hope you had an amazing weekend and I really hope you like this next chapter!

isHisCara and Stoke had gotten back in the afternoon to relay their findings and report their terrible tale. Now it was dusk and Cara, along with a few Mandalorians were preparing to mount a rescue. She was in her hut, loading her pulse rifle when an anguished cry pierced the air. She jumped up and raced outside where a horrible sight met her eyes. Stoke was kneeling in the dirt, clutching Caben’s body as his shoulder shook with sobs.

“Wh-What happened?” Cara asked in disbelief as she made her way to the fallen recruit to inspect the scene.

“A scout was on his rounds when he spotted a blurrg. The poor kid was tied to him,” Rob reported solemnly. “He was dead when we found him.” Cara kneeled beside Stoke who looked at here with tears rolling down his cheeks.

“It-it’s all my fault,” he sobbed.

“No, it’s not. Take it from me. Sometimes you can do all the right things and people still get hurt,” Cara said softly as she inspected the body. Her suspicions were confirmed, and she stood.

“One of our own was shot, point-blank by the Imperials. He wasn’t killed while trying to escape. He wasn’t given a fair chance to defend himself. An Imperial looked this boy straight in the eye and executed him as a warning to us. We’re not going to let them push us around. We’re not going to let them come and take whatever they want!” Cara cried to the villagers that had gathered.

“We won’t!” The villagers chanted.

“This isn’t a rescue mission anymore. It’s retaliation,” Cara said with determination.

“We will help too. If the Imperial Remnant is here, we should scope it out as well,” Petra volunteered.

“Good. Then here’s what we are going to do. A couple of the Mandalorians and I are going to the base to send them a little warning of our own,” Cara announced.

“I’m coming too,” Omera piped up as she stepped forward.

“You sure?”

“Yes. I’ve known Caben since he was a boy. I want to avenge him too.” Cara nodded.

“Now let’s get this show on the road.”

********

“Feel like demonstrating your skills for me again before I send you off on your final errand for me? I need to know that you won’t try anything stupid to be a hero.”

Din didn’t answer but stood sullenly. Whether he wanted to or not, he didn’t have a choice.

“I’ll take your silence as a yes. Bring in Karga!” Din huffed. This was getting old. Karga seemed to echo his thoughts as he was drug into the building.

“Oh come on! This again?” he huffed.

“Come on Djarin. Show him how much you’ve learned. I want you to kill him with your bare hands this time. It’s easy to pull a trigger from a distance but I want to know if you can do the things that would be hard for you otherwise.”

Din didn’t hesitate this time but allowed the mind control to carry him towards Karga.

“Listen, kid, I hate to throw punches but I will defend myself,” Karga said as he tried to put up his fists in self-defense but winced from the pain of his shoulder wound. Din didn’t reply but continued to move closer before he threw the first punch, hitting Karga square in the jaw.

********

Cara couldn’t have been more grateful for the Mandalorians and their jetpacks. What originally was a several hour trip was carried out in roughly thirty minutes. Soon they were peaking over the ridge at the Imperial base below. 

“Ok, on my signal, we hit them with as much firepower as we can and then split,” Cara whispered. Omera, armed with a rocket launcher Petra had provided with her nodded in affirmation. The Mandalorians did the same.

********

Karga landed on the ground with a grunt. Both men were panting as they had grappled for the better part of thirty minutes. It had been fun to watch at first but now Gideon was getting bored.

“Come on, Djarin finish him off!” he growled.

Din groaned as he felt the pressure in his head and charged at Karga, pinning him down. His hands closed around the bounty hunter’s throat and started to squeeze. Karga desperately gasped for breath but couldn’t find any.

********

“Now!” Cara hissed and all hell broke loose. Omera aimed at one of the buildings and fired. A few seconds later there was a resounding explosion. More and more explosions rang through the camp as Cara and the Mandalorians rained down explosive charges and grenade. Cara could see confused troopers and Imperials scattering as they tried to avoid the destruction.

********

Karga was blacking out when a terrific boom resounded throughout the camp. He could feel the Mandalorian’s slacken and he sucked in desperate breaths. More and more explosions rocked the ground and Din looked around, confused. He could smell the smoke and fire in the air.

“What’s going on?” Gideon demanded, equally as confused as he stormed out of the camp to find the source of the chaos. “Blast those Mandalorians!” Din could hear him call from outside and his heart leaped for joy. They were here to rescue him! He noted Gideon had moved away from the building, no doubt to go hide in the docked starship that was located on the outskirts of the camp. He had to move fast.

Gideon was well on his way to the bridge of the starship where he could observe the damage when he sensed Din was intending to escape. He clenched his fists angrily. He was determined to break that Mandalorian once and for all.

**(This part is best enjoyed when reading while listening to _Wars of Faith_ by Audiomachine)**

Din was racing for the exit when the crippling pain hit him. He fought to get to the door but every movement felt like knives in his brain. He curled up on himself, wishing it would end. Karga, feeling he was no longer in danger, knelt beside the fallen Mandalorian.

“Mano? You alright?” Before Din could answer, a detonator charge fell and exploded, catching the building they were in on fire. He knew there was no way he was making it out of this camp, not while he was still under Gideon’s control.

“G-go! Get as fa-far away as possible. G-get to the vi-village. T-tell them I’m here,” Din choked out as the pain continued to squeeze his head. The smoke was getting thick and heavy.

“No! I won’t leave you here to be a slave to these Imperial dogs,” Karga protested as he tried to get the Mandalorian up and moving. Din groaned weakly.

“H-he won’t let me leave Go! Now!” he gave Karga a weak shove buried his helmeted head in his hands. Karga ran for the exit, hesitating just once to stop and look back at the man who’d saved his life before bolting outside the exit.

The smoke was choking him. He had to get out. Every time he tried to move, the pain worsened. It was if Gideon wouldn’t let him leave the building. He laid on the ground, suffocating on the smoke and unable to move. Finally, he felt the agony ease and he pulled himself tentatively forward. Receiving no consequences, he continued to pull himself out until he was clear of the burning building and in the night air. He gasped for oxygen and coughed violently, expelling smoke from his lungs.

The chaos was slowly dying. A few troopers who had made sense of things were extinguishing fires now. If the Mandalorians had been there, all traces of them were gone now. Din felt any shred of hope he had left die. He couldn’t keep fighting. After everything he’d faced, this was the thing that broke him. He ached for his son. He heard footsteps approaching and he knew it was Gideon instinctively. The Imperial’s cold chuckle filled him with fear and dread.

Gideon looked down at the Mandalorian, knowing he’d finally beaten him. He could sense his thoughts. It was all over now.

“It’s alright, Djarin. I know what I must do now. At first light, you will help me destroy that pathetic village; every man, woman, and child. You will retrieve the child for me, and then I will end your suffering.” He sauntered away, leaving the Mandalorian on the ground.

********

Several hours after Cara and the others had returned to the village in their triumph, Cara found she was unable to sleep despite the eventful day. Caben’s death still weighed heavily on her mind and she wandered out of her hut into the night. She spotted Omera sitting outside her hut with the baby, looking up at the stars and wandered over.

“Can’t sleep either?” she asked as she sat beside the woman.

“He gets fussy sometimes. I think he misses his father,” she said softly as she tried to soothe the distressed child. There was a look of deep thought on her face.

“What’s wrong?” Cara asked.

“I can’t put my finger on it, but, something wasn’t right at that camp.”

“Yeah, it’s a camp full of blood-thirsty Imps. Nothing will ever be right about that,” Cara said with disgust.

“No. Not that. Maybe I’m just missing him, but I got this feeling like maybe Din was there.”

“I am worried that we haven’t heard anything from him. I would have expected the Imperials to at least show about capturing him.”

“You don’t think…you don’t think they killed him do you?” Omera asked fearfully.

“No. They need him alive or they will never find the kid. As hard as it was for him to leave the kid, it was the smartest decision he made,” Cara reassured.

The two women continued to sit and observe the sky when a scout called softly for Cara. The former shock trooper got up to see what the commotion was and Omera followed. The scout approached the village square with Karga in tow.

“This man says he’s-”

“I know who he is,” Cara interrupted the scout as she pointed her blaster at Karga. “He’s the one that sent Din after the Kid and tried to kill him.

“Wait, please! I know where Mando is!” Karga pleaded as he put his hands up in defense.

“You’re lying!” Cara insisted.

“I’m not! Please, please you have to listen to me! I’m telling the truth!”

“Wait, Cara! At least hear him out first,” Omera said, anxious to hear any word of Din. Cara huffed but lowered her blaster.

“The Imperials have him. They’re controlling him with some sort of device. They are coming for the kid,” Karga hurriedly explained.

“How do we know you’re not just lying, and you did something to him?” Cara questioned.

“Because they made him do this to me,” Karga said as he displayed the bruising around his neck and then pulled back his shirt to expose the still healing knife wound on his back. “They’ve turned him into a monster. If he tries to resist that device causes him a severe amount of pain. Moff Gideon said he would break him.” Omera felt a sick feeling in her stomach. All this time Din was suffering at the hands of the Imperials, separated from his son and trying to protect them.

“Did you say, Moff Gideon? He was executed after the Rebellion for war crimes,” Cara said, a look of confusion and dread on her face. During the reign of the Empire, Moff Gideon had been a ruthless general.

“He must have escaped because he’s the one who’s been after the kid this whole time. He going to retaliate and soon. You haven’t done anything but stirred him up. If I were you, I would run and escape this world before he burns this village to the ground,” Karga urged.

Cara was silent, mulling over their options in her head. “Karga is right. We don’t stand a chance against this Remnant.”

“Are you insane?!” Omera exclaimed. “We’re just going to leave Din to suffer after all he’s done for us?”

“Did you not hear the man? They have an entire army!” Cara argued. “We would be obliterated.”

“We took out a warlord and his entire army with just our village and now we have an entire army of Mandalorians on our side. We can’t just give up,” Omera protested. “You were the one who taught us to fight for what was right and not back down. Well, I’m not backing down. This village owes Din everything after he saved us from Donaroy. And if we just run away, the Imperials will still come looking for us. They will have the power to do so. We have the opportunity to end this once and for all, and to save our friend.”

Cara studied the woman before her, seeing her resolve and determination. “You and Din are perfect for each other; so much stubbornness and resolve. Alright, we will fight but we are going to plan this carefully. In the end, all that’s important is we don’t let the baby fall into their hands.”

Omera looked down at the child who cooed back at her. “We won’t fail. We will crush them once and for all,” she said resolutely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank y'all for reading! Look out for more soon and as always, rate and review!


	6. Dawn of War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The war has begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I was so excited to get this chapter out I just couldn't wait! I listened to epic music and wrote like a madwoman. I'm so pumped I could take on Moff Gideon myself. Hope y'all enjoy it!  
> '

**(This part is enjoyed best if read while listening to _Ice of Pheonix_ by Audiomachine)**

The morning dawn clear and cold. The sun rose on Sorgan, but it did not rise on peace. Omera couldn’t shake the feeling that the red sunrise was foretelling tragedy and blood. She glanced around at her village who was preparing for war. Their run-in with Donaroy was nothing compared to what they were getting ready for. This was a fight for their lives.

Cara was giving orders as villagers turned soldiers were gearing up with armor hand-crafted by the Mandalorians. It wasn’t Bhaskar by any means, but it would be better protection than nothing. The village had stayed up the rest of the night preparing after Karga had come bearing the warning of the coming war. Weapons were retrieved from the Mandalorian ships and distributed amongst those that were ready to fight. She took a deep breath and tried to quell her fears. As Cara’s second in command, it was up to her now to take charge and help prepare. She walked with purpose to the hospital where Mara, Sei, and Sala were preparing themselves and stocking supplies.

“Are you three ready for this?” she asked and Sala nodded.

“Between the supplied we brought, the supplies you already had, and the gear that the Mandalorians brought we should be ready. We’ll patch up fighters and do our best to hold the fort down here,” Sala reassured.

“Let me fight. I’m feeling much better,” Karga said from the cot on which he was recovering from his Mandalorian inflicted injuries.

“Nonsense, you are not strong enough to fight. You’ll be blown to bits out there,” Mara scolded him gently.

“Good. There are elders and others who are unable to fight who can help you if things start to get out of hand. There’s just one more thing.” She took the swaddle off her back which contained the Child and handed him to Sei. “You are to guard him with your life. We are going to try and keep the Imperials out of the village, but if they breach our ranks, it will be up to one of you to make sure he gets out of the village and off Sorgan unharmed.”

“You have our word, Omera. We will keep the Child safe,” Sei said as he held the baby close. The little green baby was not his usual bubbly self, as if he could sense the coming chaos and destruction. Omera nodded.

“Alright. As you were,” she said before exiting the hospital to help the others prepare.

********

Gideon grinned at the coming sunrise. This would be the dawn of a new empire, a chance to right the wrongs that had been done to him and Imperials like him. This time, there would be no taking orders from the Sith and their ancient arts. War and order would be won on the battlefield with blood. He surveyed the vast army assembling before him. Stormtroopers were forming ranks. Some carried heavy artillery such as e-web heavy repeating blasters, others had simple pistols and rifles. There were a few on speeder bikes but the most impressive of all his army was the Colossus Droid. Rather than power several smaller battle droids that he had salvaged from the Clone Wars, Gideon had invested and created a towering eight-foot, heavily armored droid with a massive steel wrecking-ball on the end of each arm. It was designed to crush everything in its path and do serious damage to armored transports.

He boarded the skiff where Din and The Client were waiting for him and couldn’t help but be pleased. He’d single-handedly taken down one of the most feared warriors in the galaxy and was going to use his new pet to do all his hard work for him.

“You know what I plan to do with the child once I have him?” he asked The Client nonchalantly.

“I don’t. Somehow that little part of your plan escaped our briefings,” The Client replied. Din could detect a slight note of irritation in the elderly man’s voice.

“I’m going to clone him. I’m sure Djarin here has seen the powers that little creature possesses by now. That’s only a scratch of the surface. Unlike the Sith, a baby will be much easier to influence and force to do exactly what I want. With an army of these powerful beings, I will use technology like the one Djarin has so graciously tested for us to harness their power. With Sorgan’s natural fossil fuels and an army of powerful beings at my beck and call, the Empire can rise to power again.”

“I must say, when you say it out loud, I don’t see how it can go wrong, that is unless you little pet here doesn’t obey,” The Client said as he gestured to Din.

“Oh, nonsense. After last night, he belongs to me. We won’t have to worry about him, won’t we?”

“No sir,” Din replied almost mechanically. Gideon was right, Din felt numb on the inside. Any shred of rational thought or instinct had been torn away and now he stood, empty and awaiting his next order.

“Very impressive. He will be excellent in the field today,” The Client said as the vast army began their march to the village.

“I know. Those pathetic little farmers don’t stand a chance,” Gideon said with a sneer as he looked towards the horizon.

********

Omera strapped on her armor that had been crafted just right. It felt foreign and burdensome and she wondered how Din lived his whole life encased in it. She felt a touch giddy. After all these weeks of waiting and wondering, she was so close to seeing him again, to getting him back. They could not fail.

“Hey, you ready for this?” Cara asked as she jogged to her side and handed her a pulse rifle.

“As ready as I’ll ever be for war,” Omera said as she took the rifle.

“I never thought I would be back in it after I retired,” Cara said as she strapped her own chest plate on. “She could see the thoughtful look on Omera’s face. “Hey, we’ll bring him back and we will win this. I know we will.”

“I certainly hope you’re right,” Omera said, putting on her helmet and lowering the visor.

*******

By the time the Imperial envoy had arrived on the outskirts of the village, the army had already assembled. Gideon couldn’t help but laugh. The little ragtag army interspersed with Mandalorian warriors was almost as sad as he’d imagined. It almost seemed like overkill to use his entire army on such a small target, but perhaps this would be a warning to anyone else who tried to stand in his way.

“On my signal, we attack,” Gideon said in his radio that was communicating with the commander at the head of the army.

“Copy that, Sir,” the voice over the radio replied.

*******

Cara knew she should have been prepared for the sight of Gideon’s army. She’d seen countless other armies. She guessed she wasn’t prepared for the sheer number of men who believed that the best way was to rebuild the Empire and had joined Gideon’s forces. She surveyed the troops marching over the horizon towards them before turning to the little army before her.

“I’m not going to lie, Gideon has us outnumbered four to one at least. We are going to have to fight and scrap every step of the way. But Gideon doesn’t have something that we have. Today, we don’t fight for domination and blood. We fight for justice and peace. We fight for the right to live our lives and not fear that an overlord is going to come and take away our way of life. We fight to honor the ones who have lost their lives at the hand of this monster, and we fight to get back the ones he took from us. No matter how today goes, I am honored to be fighting alongside each of you. Never back down. Never give in!”

The villagers cheered, rallying to the cause. Omera gathered her strength and determination. Today she fought to avenge Caben. She fought for the two and a half months she and Din had been separated. Today, she was fighting to get him back.

The small band of soldiers and warriors waited with bated breath as the Imperial army drew closer and closer and Omera’s heart did a summersault when she spotted Din standing with Gideon in his skiff. She had waited so long to see him and now that moment had come, on the brink of war. Cara gripped her hand and squeezed it reassuringly before raising her hand, waiting to give the signal.

********

Gideon sneered as he lifted his radio.

“Kill them all,” he ordered.

There was a brief moment when everything was perfectly silent before a cacophony of thumping boots, blaster shots, and explosions polluted the air as the two sides clashed. The war had begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! As always, rate and review!!!!!!!!


	7. The Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cara and Petra struggle to save their friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I hope your weekend was well! Here's a nice long chapter to get you through the week! I hope you like it!

Omera sucked a breath into her burning lungs as she shoved a stormtrooper back with her rifle before shooting and killing him. Sweat trickled down her neck from the effort. They had been fighting for an hour now and it seemed like it was a never-ending flow of pushing back and pulling out. The waves of stormtroopers seemed endless. Her eyes were still on Din as she fought to get to him.

********

Gideon surveyed the battle, casually shooting a villager that was coming too close to his skiff. He had to admit, the Mandalorians were giving his army a run for their money but he still had more manpower. They would be overrun soon enough. He felt like now was a good time to deploy his secret weapon now before the villagers retreated and hid the baby from him.

“Din, I want you to find the child and bring him to me at all costs. Cut down anyone who stands in your way no matter who it is,” the Imperial ordered.

“Yes, Sir,” Din replied in a monotone before jumping off the skiff and plunging into the battle.

********

Cara roundhouse kicked a trooper, knocking him to the ground, before killing him. Her army was slowly pushing back and she couldn’t be more proud. It seemed like their only real obstacle was the heavier weaponry the Imperials carried and, of course, the gigantic battle droid. She was still working on a way to take it down when suddenly villagers ran past her in the opposite direction screaming.

“Wait?! Where are you going?!” she called in confusion.

“He’s coming!” a villager screamed and continued to retreat.

Cara heard rapid blaster shots and the familiar sound of a pulse sniper rifle. She looked up and saw Din coming in hot across the terrain, cutting down villagers left and right. Karga was right, the Imperials had turned him into a monster.

“Petra, I need you at my location now. Found our little friend,” she said over her intercom.

“Copy that,” Petra responded. In two minutes, she was at Cara’s side.

“Karga said Gideon was controlling him, so here’s what we are going to do, I’ll handle Din, and you incapacitate Gideon. With luck, we’ll turn the tides on this and bring him back,” Cara explained.

“Rodger that. Let do it,” Petra affirmed and jogged off readying her disruptor. She was going to rescue Din if it took her last breath. No Mandalorian deserved to be a slave to the Empire.

********

Din was on a rampage as Gideon guided him through the battlefield. Villagers fled before him as he cut down anyone unfortunate enough to get in his way. There was no longer a voice telling him his actions were wrong. There was only the Empire now.

It would make sense that the Child would be somewhere in the village, so Din started to make his way there, avoiding shot and returning fire. He was making good progress when he came face to face with a helmeted soldier who lifted the helm’s visor to reveal Cara.

“Din, it’s me. You don’t have to do this,” she said gently, holding out her weaponless hands to avoid triggering his fight response.

“I have to. He’s in my head Cara,” Din said. There was a slight tremor in his voice.

“We can help you. Please, you have to fight him.”

Din could feel pressure in his head and groaned. Gideon must know he was stalling. He stumbled a bit.

“Din? You alright?” she asked in a concerned tone.

“I’m sorry. I have to do this,” he said before he swung at Cara. The shock trooper blocked his punch and struck back.

********

Petra jogged swiftly through the ranks, blocking shots and retaliating with full force. She could see Gideon’s skiff now. She just had to keep running. A shot struck her bheskar pauldron, bruising the skin painfully underneath. She turned and saw a stormtrooper aiming an E-web straight for her. Thinking on her feet, she pulled a detonator off her ammunition belt slung around her shoulder, activated it, and tossed it in the direction of the heavy gun. The trooper didn’t have time to react before he and his massive weapon was swallowed by a column of fire. Petra kept running and with a mighty leap, landed on the skiff.

“Time’s up, Gideon,” she said jeeringly.

The Client, panicking, pulled out the pistol that he carried for self-defense and fired at Petra. The Mandalorian raised her arm and deflected the shot with her steel bracer before firing at the elderly man and killing him instantly.

“Well, well, well. Impressive. Your friend, Djarin would have been proud,” Gideon heckled. 

“You’re going to let him go,” Petra demanded as she moved closer to the Imperial who didn’t seem phased by her presence.

“At this point, I’m not doing anything. He’s broken. He couldn’t come back if he wanted to!” Gideon cackled.

“We’ll see about that,” Petra said as she aimed. Gideon grinned, unfazed, as he produced a silver cylindrical tube. She fired and quicker than she thought was possible, he pressed a button on the side and a glowing, black blade jutted from the tube, deflecting the shot. Petra couldn’t believe her eyes.

********

Cara grunted as Din knocked her to the ground. She admitted he was putting up a fight but she was determined to get her friend back. He tried to pin her to the ground but she dug her feet into his torso and kicked him with all her strength, causing him to fly off her and land on his back. She panted as she stood.

“You know, I’d say you fight well, but I’m in a slight disadvantage since you can kill me, but, I cannot kill you,” she said. “Now, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay down until Petra takes care of Gideon and we get you back.”

Din jumped up, ready for round two and Cara sighed as he charged.

********

Petra backed away as Gideon drew closer to her with his glowing blade. She’d heard rumors of such a weapon wielded by sorcerers and wizards. Weapons that could take limbs off in a single swipe and cut through steel.

“Looks like you’ve met your match, Little Mandalorian,” Gideon cackled.

In a last-ditch attempt to save her own skin, Petra activated a detonator charge and tossed it a little ways away from the skiff. The charge exploded and the shockwave blew the skiff away, knocking Gideon and her off it violently.

Petra landed with a thud and skidded to a stop in the dirt. Her ears rang and everything muddled in her dazed brain as she tried to recoup. Looking around, she spotted Gideon laying facedown in the dirt, his fearsome blade now deactivated in his hand. She started to crawl to him.

**********

The second Gideon lost consciousness, Din felt a brief, sharp pain in his head, causing him to drop to his knees before blacking out. Cara watched the Mandalorian’s body fall and sighed with relief. Petra had come through. She dragged him to the abandoned, smoldering wreckage of a stormtrooper transport to shield them from the raining blaster fire.

“Petra? Petra come in. What’s your status?

“On my way. Be there in a minute,” her voice crackled over the radio. Cara sighed. She just had to protect herself and Din until Petra got there.

She switched radio lines.

“Omera, come in. What’s your status?”

There was static over the radio and then Omera’s voice crackled on. “ They are trying to breach our West defenses but we’re holding the line. Lost sight of that monster droid they got, she reported.

“Good. We’ve got Din. We’re heading back to the village. Meet us there. If anyone’s going to bring him out of this, it’s going to be you.”

“Copy that,” Omera replied calmly. On her end of the radio, however, she was anything but calm. In a matter of minutes, she was going to see him. All the sleepless nights spent worrying and wondering were going to crescendo into this one moment. Without wasting another second she jogged back towards the village.

********

Petra finally reached Gideon’s fallen body and grabbed the cylinder. She figured it would be an excellent addition to their arsenal. Clambering to her feet on shaky legs, she headed to Cara’s position. She soon arrived as together, the two warriors shouldered the burden of the fallen Mandalorian and started to carry him as fast as they could back to the village.

********

Omera thought her lungs were going to burst and still she kept running. The hospital was looming into view. She was so close. Her feet carried her swiftly to her destination and she burst into the entrance. Her pounding heart nearly stopped. Cara and Petra were kneeling beside his prone body on the ground.

“Let me through. Please!” she begged as she came, pulling her helmet off and tossing it to the side before she knelt beside the unconscious Mandalorian. Cara and Petra backed away, giving the couple some space. She gently touched the side of his helmet. “Din? It’s me,” she said softly.

She heard a soft groan from within the mask and slowly, his hand closed around hers. “Omera?” he asked softly. She suppressed a relieved sob.

“Yes. It’s me. I’m here,” she reassured as she wiped her tears away. “Are you with me?”

Din nodded. For the first time in days, his mind was his own. Gideon’s nagging and pulling were gone and he was free.

She stood and helped him to his feet. Once she was sure he was steady she pulled him into her arms. He wrapped his own around her. For two and a half months he’d ached for her.

“I missed you,” she whispered as he ran a gloved hand through her hair and resting it tenderly on her face.

“I missed you too,” he said back, grinning at her behind his helmet.

********

Gideon groaned as he came to. His head was pounding as he sat up and tried to make sense of everything. Looking around, he saw that Petra was gone, along with his dark saber. Pounding the ground angrily with his fist he glanced around, looking for Din. There was no sign of the silver-clad Mandalorian. He noticed the mind control device had fallen out of his ear but thankfully was not damaged. He put in on. In a second he knew where the Mandalorian was and grinned evilly.

********

Omera was still clinging to Din when suddenly he pulled away, grunting in pain as he grabbed the sides of his head.

“He-he’s back,” Din groaned.

“What? Din? What’s wrong?” Omera asked, growing more and more concerned.

“Get back! Get away from me!” he cried desperately.

“Din what’s going on? Di-” his name died in her throat as he reached out and grabbed her by the throat and started squeezing tighter and tighter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! You know how I like to torture y'all with a nice cliff hanger. As always, rate and review!


	8. Not Forgotten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is no rest for the wicked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Hope you're ready for another chapter! I get the feeling that I might be getting a touch annoying with all these updates but that just might be my crippling social anxiety. Anyways, let me know what you think and enjoy!

Omera’s vision was going dark. She desperately tried to pry Din’s grip off her throat, but he was far too strong. She wanted to beg him, try to break through the fog surrounding his mind but she couldn’t bring in the air to speak. Instead, she continued to claw desperately at his hands and choke. The cold helm of her lover would be the last thing she ever saw.

“Hey! Din stop! What are you doing?!” Cara gasped in horror as she ran to the pair and tried to free Omera.

When it appeared that he was once again under control of the Empire, she gave him a strong kick to the back of the knee. Din gasped painfully and released his grip on Omera as he dropped to the ground. Omera gagged and gasped as air rushed into her lungs. Despite the brief flare-up of pain in his knee, Din turned and lashed out at Cara, yanking her to the ground with him. The two grappled on the dirt floor.

Normally, Cara could have managed herself fine but she was exhausted from the endless fighting and he was just warming up. She knew she couldn’t hold him off for much longer and he would take the kid if he got free.

“Take the Kid!” Cara yelled to Sala before Din slammed her head into the ground, cracking her nose causing it to gush blood.

Sala grabbed the sleeping child from his crib in the corner and started to run for the exit. Din saw her attempt to flee and jettisoned his grappling line, which caught the running woman around the ankle. He jerked his arm back and Sala screamed as she tripped and fell, dropping the baby. The Mandalorian kicked Cara in the face as hard as he could, knocking her out before jumping up and running to the kid. Sei aimed and fired at him but the shot bounced harmlessly off his armor. Din scooped up the child and was just out the door when Petra blocked him.

**(This next part is best enjoyed if read while listening to _To Dwell on Dreams_ by Audiomachine)**

“Din let’s not do this. I don’t want to hurt you, but I will if it means the child is protected,” she said, activating Gideon’s blade.

Din stood for a moment, trying to contemplate his next move. Petra thought she’d finally gotten to him when she caught him shifting his arm ever so slightly. Before she could dodge, a column of fire gusted towards her. She screamed as the steel heated up with incredible speed, burning her skin. In a panic, she dropped the blade. Din was compelled to grab that as well as he bolted with the child and now the blade.

“Someone stop him!” Sala cried as Petra continued to cry out in pain. The burning was almost unbearable.

Now unobstructed, Din sprinted with all his might to Gideon. The baby cooed and squealed at the excitement of seeing his father but Din never looked down at him. At last, he’d reached Gideon who was waiting for him.

“Ah, well done, Djarin. I see you’ve managed to retrieve my dark saber from that grubby little thief. An elegant weapon is it not? I knew you would be a great asset to me."

Din didn’t much care for small talk but continued to make his way to the Imperial with the child in his arms, who was growing more and more frustrated that his father wasn’t paying attention to him.

“Dada!” he cried and Din, at last, looked down at the tiny green bundle in his arms. Something shot straight to his memory at the sight of those big eyes looking up at him. There was a memory buried deep somewhere in his mind of those eyes looking up at him full of love and trust. This was not right. He hesitated.

********

Omera sat up. She was able to breathe once more and looked around frantically at the damage done. Cara was still laying on the floor, blood gushing from her nose. Sala and Mara were frantically trying to strip the still hot armor off Petra and treat her serious burns.

“Where did he go?” she demanded as she got to her feet.

“He took the kid. He’s long gone, Dear,” Sei said sadly as he knelt beside Cara to assess her injuries.

“I’m not giving up,” she said with determination as she out the door and back to the battlefield.

********

“What are you doing? Bring him here!” Gideon insisted. Din continued to look down at the Child. Something was awakening in him. His fight and resistance were slowly coming back to life. He remembered it all; who he was, and what he stood for. He shook his head and started to back away, only to be rewarded with the pain in his head.

“You will do as I say and bring him to me!” Gideon barked.

“No! I will not give in. You will not break me,” Din growled his mantra over and over as he put more and more distance between him and the Imperial. The pain was growing worse but he was going to fight it as he started to run.

“Give him to me!” Gideon shouted as he willed more agony to course through the Mandalorian than ever before. Din cried out and collapsed, his body already convulsing with seizures. Gideon chuckled and picked up the baby before starting to walk away. “You stupid fool. You thought you could disobey me?”

********

Omera dodged an explosion that kicked up a spray of dirt as she ducked and dodged fire on the battlefield. She spotted the Colossus droid which was no swinging haphazardly at anything that would move. A stray shot had short-circuited its central processing unit and now it was going rogue. Omera spotted Din and Gideon, and the massive droid barreling towards them.

********

Gideon chucked as the seizures subsided and Din tried to get to his feet weakly. He was going to toy with his prey just a little longer.

“So valiant, trying to take me out and stop all this war. It won’t be done. The Empire ground the Mandalorian’s into dust once, and now we are going to do it again. Ow!” Gideon yelped as the baby, realizing it was in the arms of someone who was not one of his trusted people, bit a chunk of his unprotected arm as hard as he could. “Stupid beast!” Gideon cried and punched the baby with all his might.

“No!” Din cried. He was about to spring at the Imperial when suddenly he was hit with several pounds of force and sent flying where he crash-landed some ways away from where Gideon was. The Imperial in question made a mad scramble away from the colossus droid, who was swinging wildly, as he radioed for a new transport. 

********

Omera saw Din take the brunt of the droid’s blow with his shoulder and head and a horrified gasp tore from her lips as she ran in his direction.

********

**(This next part is best enjoyed if read while listening to _Final Hope_ by Audiomachine)**

Din groaned as he opened his eyes. Everything swirled and floated before him. The pain in his shoulder was almost breathtaking. There was a stinging burn on his face as well. Reaching up, he discovered that the visor of his helmet had shattered, shards cutting into his cheek. Upon further inspection, he found that the left side of his helm, the side with the mind control device had been seriously damaged. Pieces had splintered off, revealing a little bit of his face. However, none of that mattered because Din felt the sweet bliss of freedom. No longer could Gideon control him. He sat up slowly and heard his name being called.

“Din!” Omera cried as she ran up to him and he turned around. She stopped short, unsure if it was him or not. 

“Omera, it’s me,” he said softly as he got to his feet shakily. She approached him cautiously, gently touching his exposed face. He shuddered. He’d ached to feel her for so long. Tears were forming in her eyes.

"I'm-I'm so sorry," he said softly, seeing the bruising around her neck. He couldn't believe he would ever lay a hand on her, let alone almost kill her. Omera let out a weak chuckle as the tears rolled down her cheeks. 

“We have a lot to discuss later, but for now, where’s the Child?” She said, trying to keep her composure.

“Gideon has him. He was calling for a transport to escape. I have to get to him now,” Din replied.

“Wait! You aren’t armed. Cara took your weapons,” Omera protested.

“I think I’ve got this,” Din said as he turned in the direction of Gideon and ignited the dark saber. He was going to get his son back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Come on, we all knew the little green bean would be the one to break him out of it. As always, rate and review!


	9. To Live Small and Die A Colossus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle comes to a crashing end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Thank you so much for sticking by me with this story! I'm almost done, I promise. I guess I'm just sad to be ending this. Anyways, hope you enjoy the chapter!

Din prepared to pursue Gideon with the dark saber when Omera stopped him.

“Hang on. You’re not doing this alone. I’m not losing you again. I’m backing you up.” She grabbed a radio out of the ear of a fallen villager and handed it to him. “Here. That way you can communicate with me and tell me what to do,” she said.

Din took the earbud and reached through the broken part of his helmet to slip it into his ear. He touched her cheek tenderly once more before he started to jog towards Gideon’s last known location. Omera blushed slightly. That tiny gesture from him was all the reassurance that he was there and he was counting on her. She grabbed a blaster from a fallen trooper and fired ahead of him to help clear the way.

********

Gideon climbed to the top of a nearby hill. He was out of breath and irritated. This war was not going how he’d planned as the villagers were still putting up a strong fight despite their lack of numbers and experience. It didn’t help that his colossus was now swinging wildly, taking out his own troops and also that he’d lost the Mandalorian. He would have to finish this business himself. There was a loud whirring sound and he looked up to see the armored carrier flying towards him. Gideon planned to board and use the heavy guns on the craft to finish off this tiny militia once and for all before he lost his entire army. He checked the baby in his arms who was still unconscious from being hit. At least that part of the operation was going as planned.

********

Despite the horrific circumstances he was finding himself in, Din couldn’t help but feel a twinge of excitement as he wielded the dark saber. He’d come across many weapons in his lifetime but this glowing blade was on an entirely different level. He ran undeterred as he slashed troopers left and right, cutting them down where they stood. Over the ruckus of war, Din could hear the whirring of the craft and looked up to see it slowly lowering to a hill. He spotted Gideon waiting expectantly for it and knew that was where he needed to go.

“Omera, head for that hill!” he called over the radio and made his way to the waiting Imperial.

********

The craft came to a hover and Gideon climbed in. As it started to rise he spotted the Mandalorian coming up the hill. He smirked. He was too late.

“Looks like you’re too late, Djarin!” Gideon called as the ground was growing further away. “I’m going to end this!” He saw Din make it up the hill with a burst of speed and leap with all his might. Gideon realized too late that he had severely underestimated what a father could do when it came to the safety of their child. The Mandalorian just barely caught the edge of the craft’s ledge and pulled himself up.

“Miss me?” He asked, some of his old spunk coming back. Gideon gulped as he eyed the dark saber in Din’s hand but forced himself to remain calm.

********

Omera watched as Din disappeared into the craft. She switched radio channels.

“Cara? Cara are you with me?” she called, praying that the shock trooper had recovered from her encounter with Din.

“Yeah, I’m here,” came Cara’s voice over the static. There was a touch of exhaustion in her tone.

“If you’re able, I could use some back up at the hill. Gideon’s here and he has a transport that could level the village.”

“Copy that. I’m on my way,” Cara affirmed. Omera braced herself and continued to ward off troopers who were now trying to gather at the hill, successfully being pushed back by the villagers. Din just had to come through.

********

“I would be careful, Djarin,” Gideon warned. “You try to use that thing on me and I’ll make sure you slice this child right in half with me.

“Give him to me,” Din demanded harshly. Gideon glanced over Din’s shoulder and spotted the pilot ever so slowly standing with a blaster in hand. He had to keep up the distraction.

“Why on earth would I do that?” Gideon taunted. Din was drawing closer when the pilot aimed and fired. Din cried out as the shot hit him in the side, where the armor didn’t protect him. He whipped around and sliced clean through the pilot, killing him instantly.

“You know what? I really don’t need the kid alive. I can come collect the body when this is all over,” Gideon called with a twisted smile. Din’s heart sunk. He tried to spring over Gideon just as the Imperial tossed the Child carelessly out the open door. Dropping the dark saber, Din caught the blanket the Child was wrapped in, but the baby rolled free and plummeted.

********

Omera saw the tiny bundle fly out of the ship and her instinct kicked in, propelling her forward. Reaching out her arms, she caught the child before he could slam into the ground and brought him close to her body as she tumbled to a halt. Her heart was in her throat and she pleaded to anything that would listen as she cautiously checked the little being in her arms. She wanted to cry as the baby’s eyes slowly blinked open and he gave her a soft coo.

“You little womp rat,” she almost sobbed. “Thank goodness you’re alright.” She hugged the baby close, rocking him.

********

Din couldn’t bear to watch the kid hit the ground and instead gathered all his pain and anger and swung, striking Gideon in the jaw. The Imperial stumbled backward but couldn’t help laughing as he rubbed his jaw.

“It’s alright, Djarin. I’m sure he didn’t suffer when he died. But you will,” Gideon sneered.

Din spotted the deactivated darksaber rolling on the floor of the craft and made a dive for it. Gideon kicked it out of the craft just as Din was about to reach it and slammed his foot down on the Mandalorian’s wrist, causing it to snap sickeningly.

“You think you can beat me? “ Gideon jeered. In the next minute, he was on the ground as Din kicked his legs out from under him. Din was on the Imperial in an instant, punching him with all his might.

********

Omera tried to run down the hill only to be met with the colossus droid was barreling out of control towards her. She tried to backtrack but tripped over the body of a stormtrooper. She squeezed her eyes shut as she waited for the droid to smash them both but it never came. Turning, she saw the droid floating in midair. Confused, she looked down and saw the Child with his eyes closed and his arms up, concentrating with all his might. She couldn’t believe her eyes. The Child made a sweeping motion with its hands and the Colossus slammed into the ground, the final stress causing it to implode and catch fire. Cara ran up to the pair and skidded to a halt, blood had stained around her nose and mouth.

“Well, at least the Colossus is gone,” Omera said, still completely shocked by what she just witnessed.

Cara nodded as she took the kid from her. “Where’s Din?” Omera gestured to the aircraft that was getting higher and higher off the ground.

********

Gideon managed to get a stray punch into the wounded area on Din’s side and the younger man spasmed and cried out before Gideon kicked him off and scrambled for the blaster the fallen pilot had been carrying. He turned but before he could fire, Din was on him again, trying to pin his arms down. Gideon squeezed off several shots. One ricochet off Din’s helmet, just barely missing the exposed part of his face. Another hit the craft’s control panel, short-circuiting it. Din could hear the power dying. Din extended the short blade from his bracer and jammed it into Gideon’s chest, and ripped it out. The Imperial screamed. The blade wasn’t long enough to kill him instantly, but his minutes were numbered. He had to come up with a plan now because this ship was going down. He could already feel it plummeting. He tried to pull away but Gideon had reversed his grip and wasn’t letting go. The dying man was surprisingly strong.

“If I’m going down, you’re going with me,” he snarled as blood trickled out the side of his mouth. Din punched him hard again but Gideon blocked the punch with the barrel of the blaster and fired. The shot hit Din in the chest plate and while it didn’t puncture the steel, it knocked the breath out of the Mandalorian temporarily. Gideon sprang onto the Mandalorian, trying to pin him down. The craft was gaining speed as it was rushing to meet the ground.

“Omera,” Din said into the radio. He had to get this out before it was too late. Gideon’s grip on him was weakening.

“Din? You have to get off that craft!” Omera exclaimed over the radio.

Din kicked Gideon off of him and tried to get to his feet. “I love you,” he said to Omera. He tried to jump out the open door just as the craft hit the ground and exploded.

“Din!” Omera’s scream echoed through the battled scorched landscape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! As always, rate and review!!!!!!!!!


	10. The Funeral

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a funeral is held.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, my darlings! I just want to express my deepest thanks to all of you for your love and support. As a writer who is often afraid to share her work, all your comments mean the world to me. They have definitely helped me to get out of my seasonal depression funk. Sorry to leave you all on that wild cliffhanger so I busted my butt and got the next chapter done. I hope you like it!

**(This part is best enjoyed if read while listening to _Adagio in D Minor_ by London Music Works)**

Omera ran as fast as she could to the burning wreck, begging and pleading for Din to be alive. She screamed his name as she searched desperately for him. She didn’t hear the villagers cheering as they chased off the last of the stormtroopers. With their leader gone, they had no direction and chose to flee. The battle had been won, but at what cost? She spotted him lying on his back a little way from the wreck, appearing to have attempted to jump free before the crash. Tears blurred her vision as she ran to him. She grabbed him from under the arms and dragged his dead weight clear of the burning skeleton of the craft.

Cara finally caught up with Omera and her heart sunk as she watched her stop and kneel beside the fallen warrior. Omera pulled off the remains of his helmet and put her ear close to his mouth. Her worst fears were confirmed; he wasn’t breathing.

“Din, no please no!” she sobbed as she started to pull at the straps of his chest plate with shaking fingers, rapidly running out of time. She finally got it off and started compressions, imploring him to stay alive as she counted out beats. When she reached 30 she stopped and gave him two rescue breaths. She waited for a second to see if he would start breathing on his own and when he didn’t she started all over again. Villagers were running in their direction, unaware of the situation.

“Keep them back!” Omera screamed as she continued to try and bring Din back to life. She was getting more and more desperate. “Din please, please come back to me please!” It was an endless mantra of 30 compressions and then two rescue breaths over and over until she was so exhausted she could hardly think.

She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. She didn’t have to look up to know it was Cara.

“I’m-I’m so sorry, Omera,” she said, a hint of tears in her voice. She knelt beside her, gently setting the child down beside the body of his father so she could hold the sobbing woman tightly.

“I-I-I didn’t get to tell him,” Omera sobbed, her heart was shattering into a thousand pieces. They had come so close and lost everything.

She held his hand with her fingers on his wrist, waiting for him to quit altogether. She was too late, there would be no bringing him back this time. The baby whimpered as he waddled close to Din’s head, unable to understand why Din wasn’t moving.

“I’m so sorry, Little one. I tried to save him,” she said in a sorrow-filled voice. The baby whimpered again and put his little hands on Din’s still chest before closing his eyes. Cara found she wasn’t strong enough to keep her tears back now as she watched his little body straining under whatever powers he was trying so desperately to harness. Din would not want him to hurt himself further, especially if it was because he was trying to save him.

“It’s ok, Little Womp Rat,” Cara said as she took him gently in his arms. “He-He’s going to rest now.”

Suddenly Din’s chest rose with a shallow breath. Cara almost thought she’d imagined it when she saw it again.

“Din? Din are you with me?” Omera asked having also seen him breathe. She felt for the pulse on his neck and fought to suppress a relieved sob when she found a weak one. It was so fragile she was afraid it would fade right then and there. “Get Mara. Tell her to come quickly,” Omera said and she tried to assess Din’s wounds. Blood was spilling out of more injuries than she could count. He would need medical help immediately. Cara nodded and bolted for the village with the sleepy baby still clutched to her chest.

“Just stay with me, Din. Please just stay with me.”

********

Din’s eyes cracked open though dried blood obstructed his vision. He could just make out a bright light above him and the low chattering of voices all around him. He tried to take a breath but his chest hitched and a pained cry clawed its way up his throat. It came out as a wet cough that painted his lips with blood and he was shifted to his side in order to prevent him from choking on the blood that was filling his lungs and coating his throat. A gentle hand rubbed his back reassuringly as he spit up more blood.

“Sei please hurry,” a familiar voice begged before the voice’s owner was at his head, brushing his hair back from his face. She was here. Everything was going to be ok. He tried to say her name but his breath hitched again and every muscle spasmed painfully, causing another congested cry to escape his lips. His back arched as he writhed on the table. The hand on his back turned into a strong grip on his shoulder to keep him from falling off the side.

“It’s aright Din.” Her hands were gentle and soft as he was eased onto his back once more. He was in so much agony he never felt the needle slide expertly into his arm and deliver a powerful anesthetic. All he cared about was her hands as she spoke soothing words to him. Her voice was slowly becoming more and more garbled as the drugs kicked in and he slowly drifted away into the blissful unknown.

********

**(This next part is best enjoyed if read while listening to _Turning Point_ by Audiomachine)**

Cara ushered Omera out as Mara and Sei got to work on the injured Mandalorian. She’d wanted to stay beside him making sure he stayed alive, but Mara insisted that they needed room to work. Besides, there was one more thing they had to do to end this war once and for all.

Out of the 150 or so able-bodied villagers who had fought that day, thirty-five were killed and roughly twenty more were injured. Out of the sixty Mandalorians that fought beside them that day, ten were cut down in battle. Their victory had not come without costs, and now it was time to honor the ones who had sacrificed everything to protect their home. The Mandalorians took their dead away to honor them the way their culture prescribed but wordlessly agreed to be present at the memorial for the others. Each fallen villager was laid to rest side by side in the cemetery as the entire village gathered together. Omera couldn’t help but feel the nagging reminded that some of those soldiers had died at Din’s hand and she was thankful he was not here to face this. There would be plenty of time for him to process what had happened while he was under the control of the Empire. In the meantime, she would mourn the loss of her friends who had been killed. Rob got up in front of the crowd after the dead had been buried and cleared his throat. His eyes were misty.

“There is nothing I can say to take away the pain I know you all feel. You have all lost sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, and friends. My heart is heavy with every loss. I grieve with you as every member of this village is part of my family. But we must take some comfort in knowing that these brave men and women didn’t die in vain. We were once but farmers who let people walk all over us, bully us with fear and take what they wanted from us. But not anymore. Because of these brave souls, and because of your sacrifices, no longer do we have to hide in fear. We no only protected our home, but we stopped the Empire. So, let’s not wallow in sorrow for the ones we’ve lost, but honor their memory by spreading the stories of their sacrifices. Let their legacies as defenders of Sorgan live on through the generations to come. When your children and your children’s children ask about the ones who lay here today, you tell them the incredible miracle that happened here, and about what these fallen sacrificed.”

Cara stood at attention and saluted the new graves, honoring the dead soldiers one final time. The rest of the village followed her example, as well as the Mandalorians. Rob turned to the graves and saluted as well.

“May you rest with honor and peace, my brothers and sisters,” he said to himself as a tear rolled down his cheek.

*******

Omera sat beside Din, watching his chest rise and fall shallowly with his breathing. He’d been in surgery for nearly seven hours as Sei and Mara did their best to repair the extensive damage he’d put his body through. Mara told her it was a miracle he was alive and Omera knew she had the Child to thank for that. If it wasn’t for him, Din would be lying beside the fallen villagers. The little green creature was still hibernating. Every ounce of his strength had been used up between destroying the colossus and getting Din to start breathing again.

Even now if it wasn’t for the steady movement of his breathing, he looked dead. Bandages wrapped his arms where he sustained nasty burns from the wreck. Thankfully the blanket that had been draped over him hid the extensive bandaging around his chest and torso where most of the damage had been. She held his limp hand in hers, wishing he would wake but also knowing that unconsciousness was the only thing keeping him from the tremendous amount of pain he would be feeling.

She heard the shuffling of feet and looked to see a bandaged arm pull back the curtain that was hung to give them privacy and of course keep the Mandalorian’s face from being seen by others. Petra slowly limped past the sheet. She looked worse for wear as well. White bandages covered her arms and abdomen and with the way she was limping, Omera suspected there were bandage-covered burns on her legs as well.

“Hey,” she said in a raspy voice and Omera stood so that Petra could sit in her chair.

“Hey, you should be resting. He got you pretty good,” she said gently, knowing Petra must be in a serious amount of pain as well.

“Just wanted to see him. I didn’t believe it when they told me he made it out alive,” she rasped.

“I keep being afraid that I’m going to open my eyes and he’s going to be gone,” Omera confessed. Petra just nodded solemnly. Omera studied the blond woman beside her. Now that she didn’t have her helmet on, she seemed small and fragile. The Mandalorian armor tended to do that to its wearers. She felt a hand grab hers and squeeze it reassuringly. Omera squeezed Petra’s back. The Mandalorians were definitely people of few words, but there was a vast amount of emotion behind their smallest gestures.

Din’s breath stuttered and a soft groan escaped his lips. She tightened her grip around his hand and gently rubbed circles on it with her thumb.

“It’s alright Din. I’m here. You can rest now. I’m not going to leave,” she said softly and Petra rose to leave, giving the couple privacy. His lips moved to say her name, but he was too tired to quite get the words out.

“I’m here Din. I’m right here,” she soothed as she stroked his cheek, being careful of the burns and cuts he’d sustained there. He leaned into her touch slightly and was still again, most likely slipping back into unconsciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SPOILER ALERT! Smut is coming in the next chapter, I pinky promise. Thank you so much for reading!


	11. To Have and to Hold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the war is bitter sweet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I'm going to be really busy for the next few days so I wanted to squeeze out one more chapter before that happened. I can't believe this is the second to the last chapter. I'd get all emotional but I'll save that for the finale. Anyways, this is my first time writing something even remotely smutty so bare with me and try not to judge too harshly. Anyways, enjoy!

The next several days were an endless blur of awake and unconscious for Din. He’d be trapped in a nightmare thinking it must be reality only to wake up screaming in Omera’s arms. Pain, both physically and mentally tortured him constantly. Finally, a week after the battle, Din woke from his latest drugged up slumber with a clear head. The danger had passed. Omera stayed by his side, keeping him company and helping him heal. She fretted over his condition. His body was healing but she knew his mind was still scarred. When he no longer needed to be under constant care in the hospital and moved in with Omera, she set about trying to help. During the day he was his normal self. He was still bedridden but would take short walks with Omera and entertain his son. At night, however, one too many times Omera would wake to find his side of the bed empty and find him sitting outside her hut pensively.

It was a warm night several nights after Din had first moved in. After Din woke several times in a cold sweat, Omera had decided to drop the baby off with Sei and Sala for the evening so he could finally get some sleep. The poor little guy had been kept up constantly by his distressed father. She was sitting at her dining table, staring listlessly at a cup of untouched spotchka when she heard a soft groan from the bed. It was starting again. Getting up, she walked to the bed and sat on the edge, taking his hand gently in hers.

“Din? Din, it’s alright. You’re home and you’re safe,” she said softly. “Come on Din. Wake up!” Din awoke with a gasp, his limbs trembling. Sweat was rolling down his face.

**(This next part is best enjoyed if read while listening to _Empathy_ by Audiomachine)**

“Omera? Omera I can’t do this. I can’t do this anymore.” He sounded like a frightened child and her heart broke. “Every time- every time shut my eyes, my hands are covered in blood. Those people I killed. I see Caben’s face. I-I killed him.

“No Din. You didn’t kill him. Gideon killed him. He just used you as a weapon. You would have never done it if you weren’t being controlled by him,” Omera reassured. Din sighed and held her hand tightly.

“Omera, I-I need you.” She was confused by his meaning until she saw the look in his eyes. His eyes burned into hers and there was a look of desire in them. 

“Are you sure? You’re still hurt,” she tried to protest but his look had rocked her straight to her core.

“I don’t care. I’ll be careful, but I need you.”

Her lips crashed into his as passion consumed them. She hadn’t kissed him since right before he left Sorgan two and a half months ago and now nothing was stopping her. He kissed her hungrily back as he worked the buttons on her dress and gently slipped the garment off her. His lips moved to her neck and she could scarcely breathe. Her fingers traced the scars littering his chest and his breath stuttered a bit as it skated across her skin. Every nerve in his body was tingling. He’d longed for her to touch him this way. No one had ever touched him the way she did. His muscles rippled under her hands. The armor hid so much and certainly didn’t do his powerful body justice. He stopped kissing and looked up at her with his dark eyes and she traced his lower lip seductively with her thumb. He reached up to take the rest of his clothes off but winced and sucked in a sharp breath as his wounds protested the movement.

“Easy Din. Let me do that,” she said with a grin as she carefully removed her undergarments and then the rest of his clothes. His eyes took her in as she straddled his hips and kissed him passionately. She shivered as his hands ran lightly down her body, caressing her curves before moving to her face and cupping her cheeks as he kissed her. A soft gasp escaped her lips as he trailed kisses from her lips, down her neck, across her collar bone to her shoulder.

“Omera…” he murmured in a lusty tone. He was ready and so was she. There was no armor or helmet or Empire to stop them now. They were the only things that existed. He moaned softly as she carefully lowered herself onto him and started to move her hips. He gripped her waist tightly as she sighed his name. He couldn’t get enough of her. She bent down and their lips collided in a passionate kiss once more. He pulled her closed and started to move his hips in rhythm with hers.

“Oh Din…” she moaned again as she buried her face in the crook of his neck as their pace quickened. She wanted to be consumed by him as their pace rose to a fever pitch. His fingers dug into her skin but she didn’t care. All that mattered was his body against hers. This was all she’d ever wanted. Their passion surged and they cried out each other’s names as they reached the peak of their ecstasy. She slumped against his bare chest exhaustedly and he ran his fingers through her hair lovingly as he smiled at her.

“I love you, Din,” she said softly.

“I love you too, Omera he whispered back before he kissed her, tenderly this time.

********

Omera squinted as a sunbeam peeked through the slats of her window. Lifting her head a little, she saw he was still sleeping peacefully. They’d fallen asleep in each other’s arms after their night of passion and for the first time since coming home from the Empire, Din slept through the night.

********

_Three months later…_

Din led Omera up ridge several miles from the village. Despite the new helmet covering his face, she could tell he was excited about something.

“Where are we going?” she asked, nearly breathless from the climbing.

“We’re almost there. You’ll see,” he said as he took both her hands and guided her the rest of the way.

They reached the top and Omera gasped in wonder. The view was breathtaking. She could see for miles as the landscape stretched out in rolling hills below them. He gently turner her to the side and to her surprise there was a wooden arbor decorated with native flowers. A suit of armor was stacked neatly beside it. Curiously, she walked over and picked up the helmet to inspect it. The owl eye style visor looked hollowly back at her. She turned and saw he was standing before her with his helmet off.

“Omera, I love you. I love you will every part of my being. But this Creed. I took it up when I was a boy. It’s who I am. It’s everything to me. I want you to join and be my wife, but I understand if that’s not what you want. And, I would happily give it up for you.” He shifted uncomfortably and for the first time in his entire life, he was nervous.

She looked down at the helmet before looking back at him with tears in her eyes.

“Din Djarin, I love you. I want to be apart of your life, every part of it. If that means taking up this Creed that made you into the man I’ve fallen in love with, then I embrace it all.” Din grinned as she donned on the armor of his people, then he took her hand and led her to the arbor. He faced her and looked deeply into her eyes.

**(This next part is best enjoyed if read while listening to _Concealed Passion_ by Audiomachine)**

“You saved me that day I first saw you in the village. I didn’t know it then, but you did. Time and time again you’ve come to my rescue, and now it’s my turn. I vow here today, Omera to love and protect you from anything that might come our way. I will never stop trying to make you happy, and I will defend you.” He swallowed the tears of joy that were welling up in his eyes. She smiled and rested her hand tenderly on his cheek, wiping his tears away.

“I never thought I could love someone the way I love you, Din. You sacrificed everything to save me, save my home, and save my people, with no expectation of reward. You have given my life meaning and a purpose, and I can never thank you enough for that. Those months we were apart were the most painful I’ve ever experienced, and I never want to be apart again. I vow today to be your companion, your wife, your support, and a mother to your son. I will never stop trying to be the best I can be for you and I will never stop loving you.” She could barely get her vows out over her own tears of joy.

“We are one when together, we are one when parted, we share all, we will raise warriors,” Din recited the traditional Mandalorian vow, and Omera repeated it before the embraced, his lips pressing softly against hers. His heartfelt so full he thought it would burst. He couldn’t remember a time when he’d felt this happy. When they parted, they put their respective helmets on. It felt strange and foreign on her, but she knew she would get use to it.

When they returned to the village, all the citizens and Mandalorians had gathered. They cheered as the new bride and groom entered the square hand in hand. Cara grinned and brought Din in for a hug as Petra embraced her new sister in arms. Sei and Sala were waiting and finally, Sala couldn’t wait as she threw her arms around the new couple.

“Oh, I’m so happy for you two! You are going to have such a long happy marriage together,” she said tearfully. She stepped back and Sei smiled at them both before handing the Child to Din.

“Dada!” he shrieked happily as he reached for his helmet covered face. Omera bashfully approached the baby, worried about how he would respond now that she too bore a helmet. He looked at her and chirped thoughtfully. Neither of his adopted parents could know that through his strange and mystical powers, he understood a lot more than people gave him credit for.

“M-mama!” he babbled as he reached for her and Omera felt tears of joy forming in her eyes as she took the baby in her arms and cradled him close. Din wrapped his arms around them both. The three had become one; a family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not gonna lie. I bawled like a baby the entire time writing this chapter. I sincerely hope that this is how the show ends for real. I hope you liked it! Rate and Review!


	12. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the story comes to an end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise myself I wouldn't cry but I'm already tearing up so I guess I broke my promise already. First of all, I just wanted to say that you guys are amazing, and a special thanks to everyone who has been with this series since the first chapter of Into the Light. Your constant love and support have really helped me as I have undergone some rough stuff in my life recently. I hope I don't lose touch with some of yall. I'll miss nerding out about Star Wars, Pedro Pascal and other such subjects. Feel free to shoot me a message every now and then or gift me some works. Anyways, sorry for getting all mushy. I'm bad at goodbys. Enjoy!

Petra and the Mandalorians left three days after the wedding. Din was sad to see them go, but Petra had a mission that she was dedicated to. Din followed her to the ramp of her ship with his son in his arms. She turned to him, thankful that the mask hid any emotion.

“By the way, whatever happened to Terra? Did he stay behind?” Din asked.

“No. He died shortly after you contacted him. He said he knew there was a hero in our story somewhere. I assume you know what that means.”

Din chuckled and gave his signature nod.

“You sure you don’t want to come with us? You helped take down Gideon. You could be an excellent leader,” Petra tried to persuade.

“That’s very kind of you, but I need to take your advice for a while and rest. I’ve been on the run and alone for so long, and my life is here now,” he said as he turned to see his new wife laughing and talking with Sei and Sala. The baby in his arms babbled happily. “Besides, I’m no leader. But you, you will serve our people well. You are the leader they need.”

Petra nodded as she started up the ramp.

“Hey, Petra,” Din called after her, and the Mandalorian turned to him. “If-when you accomplish your mission. Give me a call. You said all Mandalorians would be called home one day. I want to be there when it happens.”

Petra chuckled. “I will. Farewell, Din Djarin. Take care of yourself and the Kid. Give my regards to your bride. She’s one of us now.”

Petra entered the ship as the ramp was raised. Slowly the ships lifted into the atmosphere and disappeared.

********

_Three Decades later…_

**(This part is best enjoyed if read while listening to _Across the Horizon_ by Audiomachine)**

The _Razorcrest’s_ ramp lowered and a dark-hair twin boy and girl burst forth from within the ship, screaming and laughing.

“Papa! Papa come on!” the boy shouted excitedly.

“I’m coming!” Din called as he felt Omera squeeze his hand gently. His older joins protested him moving as fast as he use to, but his heart still felt as young as his grandchildren.

“Wait for the rest of us you two!” Omera called.

“I’ve got them, mother, don’t worry,” their daughter Winta said as she hurried after her children. Din smiled as their daughter, sporting a helmet that matched her mother’s, darted after her twins.

“You know, Pedrik and Selivane are almost old enough for their first helmet,” Din commented to Omera.

“Well, I don’t think there could be a better place for them to get it made than home,” she said. Din could sense the excitement in her voice.

Din felt a little three-fingered grasp clasp his hand and looked down to see the Child, Caben, looking up at him. He was nearly the same age as Winta’s children now and would be receiving his own helmet with them.

“Where are we going, father?” he asked inquisitively.

“We’re going home, my son,” Din said as they reached a ridge where the rest of the family stood.

They looked down at the developing city below. Petra had called Din about a week ago. She was getting up in her years too but she was still as spunky as Din remembered. The Mandalorians were finally being called home. Din could live out the rest of his days here with his wife and family, watching his children and his grandchildren be raised in the Mandalorian way as their people continued to rebuild and restore. He looked over the wild terrain of Mandalore and knew this was the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I know this ending is incredibly unrealistic for the show but it's always a hope of mine that the Mandalorians will rebuild themselves. And of course they named the Child Caben to honor the poor boy who died. Anyways, thanks again for reading! Please rate and review for one last time!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! As always rate and review!


End file.
